Tuesday, April 26, 2016

What follows is an after action report for my inaugural session of my first campaign! The main purpose is to present my players with a recap of events that is useful before play the next session. I also thought others may enjoy reading it over.

++++spoilers++++
We are playing the Secrets of Marco Polo adventure which comes in the GM section of Ultima Forsanwhich uses the Savage Worldsrulebook. I recommend players whose GM is playing to use the adventure wait a couple of AARs till that start reading as my group should have moved on.

With that out of the way lets roll.

CAST:Malakai: A plague doctor whom is determined to find a cure to the plague. Native of New Venice.Chuvalski: A well dressed Russian whom seems capable of holding himself in a fight.
Dalmasca: An Egyptian Deadhunter.

AAR 1:
Each PC began by shopping the market individually. During this time, each is approached by an individual who slips them a message and runs off before questions can be asked. Each message contains a mysterious summons to the Sorcerers Court, a unofficial central location of alchemists and Kabbalists. Seeing that they were not alone in receiving an invite, the three decide to accompany each other to the tainted district to find the hidden court.

At the Black Gate, a few guards stopped the PCs with a warning that entering the plaque district late in the afternoon was unadvised. With only an hour before curfew untainted were encouraged to leave the district. Malakia assured the guards that his services were needed and should be completed quickly. The guards reluctantly allowed them to pass with a final warning to be out before nightfall.

Malakia, a native of New Venice, quickly determined the location he believed the mysterious message was referring to. With time to kill, the three introduced themselves. Dalmasca told a tale of one of his adventures further to the north. Chuvalski hinted that his past included someone with a grudge. Malakai proclaimed his purpose to find a cure, which generated laughter at such an impossible task but also earned respect for his determination.

Noticing that it was getting dark out, the PCs decided to find a suitable location to hide from patrols until the time mentioned on the paper. Dalmasca offered to shoot an arrow and rope up a building so that they could hide on the roof. He failed miserably. Not to be outdone, Chuvalski proclaimed that he would do it, and missed as well. Malakai, who never shot a bow before, managed to lodge an arrow over the roof. His victory was short lived as they found that during this shooting match, they attracted a number of guards. Desiring not to hurt guardsmen who where only doing their jobs, Chuvalski offered bribes if they would give the PCs an extra hour. The guards happily took the bribe under the promises that the PCs would not cause any trouble.

At the appointed time, a hidden passage to the Sorcerers Court was revealed and the PCs entered a tavern once at the courtyard. There they met the sender of the messages, Kabbalist Melqisedeq. Melqisedeq asked the PCs to find an ancient text that may reveal clues to curing the plague. The PCs, each with their own reason and the promise of all other treasure as reward, agreed to help. Their first step was to meet a Captain Largo Sevilliano who would take them to Old Venice where they were to search Marco Polo's old home for a clue to the location of his treasure vault. While ironing out details, the inn was attacked by a Leaden Knight, an mechanical man.

After laying waste to the Leaden Knight, the inn burning down in flames, and with guards in pursuit, the PCs decide to start their adventure a bit premature. While escaping to the docks, Melqisedeq warns that the PCs will not be alone in trying to find the old text. The Leaden Knight must have been sent by Melqisedeq's peer and nemesis, Sabellicus. Melqisedeq offers the PCs thanks and good luck as they set sail for Old Venice, a city of sorrow.

Hope you enjoyed the read, I'm open for suggestions on format. I will be following this up with some of my thoughts regarding this session.

Monday, April 25, 2016

I believe a good way to start this blog is by discussing what it is all about. At the most basic level, Timber Road Society Adventures will discuss the many different aspects of roleplaying games. My approach, at least for the near future is one of a relative noob. I have dabbled in the hobby over the years but simply never committed to steady gaming for a multitude of reasons. But I am at a time in my life where I really want to make the leap headfirst and embrace many assets that roleplaying games have grown to be.

There are a number of themes that I will be exploring in this blog. The first is cataloging my experiences as I start a regular game group and all the questions and challenges that the task raises. Because of that, this blog will host opinions on a verity of products including rulesets, settings, GM tools, and anything else someone such as myself could stumble upon while searching the hobby markets. I will want to discuss my observations about the communities that have risen since the begging of the hobby. This means I will point out online communities, blogs, and podcasts that have caught my attention. I'm sure that there will be a number of other topics that pop up here and now as well.

For now I am going to try and keep a modest goal of at least two posts a month. Topics to expect in the near future are:

How I chose my first campaign

Getting started in my first campaign

My plans for gaming

My roleplaying bucket list

Questions to get to know my players better

My collection

I look forward to exploring all these thoughts in my head and emerging myself in the roleplaying community!